


Cutie on Duty

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Library AU, M/M, best friends!Zarry, librarian!Niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 05:55:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3839581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Niall is not gay at all, Harry is not straight at all and Zayn just wants to not talk about his marriage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cutie on Duty

It's a nice day today, Harry thinks as he looks up into the bright blue sky and well, maybe it is indeed a nice day. Probably even wonderful. The sun is shining, he is flaming and Zayn is walking right next to him with a frown plastered on his face, which Harry does not care about, because he is a good and understanding friend.  
Harry smiles at Zayn, who in return frowns even more and narrows his eyes at the curly-haired bloke, who only smiles brighter at this.

They walk to the local library and no, they do not have a reason, at least Zayn does not, because Zayn is mad and he doesn't read. He only pretends to do so, because he wants to look smart.   
He likes to think he is smart, he doesn't make many grammatical errors and he likes to quote deep sayings. Which makes him mysterious and seemingly extremely smart and clever.  
Judged by that, he is. Is smart.

Harry does have a reason. At least he likes to think he has one and if the cutie behind the counter in the local library isn't a reason or reason enough to go to the library, then he doesn't know what this world is about anymore. Not about cuties behind counters obviously.

Zayn tells him, that the cutie is as straight as a ruler, but Harry thinks, huh, there are bendable rulers and if you cannot bend a ruler, then break it. Easy as that, right?  
Harry likes to think he's smart, too. Just as smart as Zayn thinks he is, maybe even smarter, because Harry actually reads books. Not that these books contain the 10 steps on how to make a straight guy like dick. And if they do, he hides them well at home and he only lets the cutie behind the counter in the library see them, when he borrows them. 

Harry has to leave hints, slight hints, clever hints, but hints nonetheless. That's what the book says, too. Leave hints that you're interested in the person.   
The curly-haired bloke thinks, why not force them to love him back? But then he remembers that there once was a person who tried to force the world to become his and it didn't end really well.  
Also they apparently shot Franz Ferdinand. What a pity, he liked that band.

Today Harry is going to leave another hint. He is clearly becoming desperate for the straight cutie's love and Zayn next to him just sighs a lot. Harry would like to tell him to stop sighing so much, but he knows that Zayn's having some trouble with his wife - soon-to-be-wife, as Zayn would say - and he doesn't want to bother him, because Harry really is an amazing friend.

The library is not far from where they live, actually Harry lives and Zayn is only tolerated, so they cannot exactly enjoy the good weather for too long. Zayn doesn't care, because he's grumpy and Harry just wants to see the cutie behind the counter. The cutie is the only reason he reads books and leaves his house. 

Harry wonders how the cutie doesn't realise that and when Zayn says, that the cutie is just not interested and abnormally straight, Harry doesn't listen. He has to read his book, doesn't he?  
And he tells Zayn that maybe he should read a book, too, because he is not a good friend and maybe he would find an answer or two for his trouble with his wife - soon-to-be-wife, as Zayn would complain - in said book. Sometimes Harry even throws a book at his so called friend.

When they reach the library and Harry runs up the few steps to the door and slams it open, Zayn trots behind with his gaze kept on the floor, because no, he doesn't know this person running into a library and being uncomfortably loud.  
And if somebody asks him, if he knows the person, well, not that anyone would ask, ever, he would say, that no. No, he doesn't and he also doesn't want to get to know the person.  
People would be confused then, because did Zayn not just walk with the person to the library? Zayn would deny, definitely deny. He's too smart to get on Harry's level. Which is level -1.

Harry in the meanwhile doesn't care if Zayn's left behind and a bad friend, all he cares about at the moment is the cutie behind the counter with the name tag "NIALL HORAN" on his sweater, who looks more than annoyed when he sees Harry approaching him.

The cutie forces himself to smile, anyway, because he has to and the manager doesn't like to see frowny faces. And then the manager would say something about how the customer is the king, but Niall doesn't care, he also doesn't care about the bright smile and the hopeful green eyes of the customer, who stands right in front of the counter to greet Niall. Like all the time.

"Hello Harry", Niall says, smiles through the pain and decides to type something into the library computer, so he doesn't have to talk to Harry any further, but like always, Harry keeps talking to him and Zayn trailing behind him just sighs. Niall understands Zayn, he also just wants to sigh.

"Hi Niall! How's your day? Great weather, right?", Harry grins at the cutie behind the counter, who nods shortly and clicks around on the computer desktop with the mouse. Niall is not playing this game, where you have to click on those squares and eventually a mine explodes or something like that.

Even though he doesn't play it, he almost reached high score once. It's been a great Friday afternoon. No Harry, no talking, just peace, silence and no gaming at all, of course. His manager doesn't like that.  
Niall actually does like Harry, he's a nice guy, but really really annoying and too bold and too bright. Niall is like that, too, but not at work. At work he's boring old Niall, who doesn't want to talk to anyone and just does this job, because he has to. People say he's a people person, and yes he is, but only because people mistake his professional friendliness with actual interest in other human beings. 

"Have you made a child cry today, yet, Zayn?", Niall asks casually, knowing that Zayn's made a few toddlers cry because of his grumpy mood and frowny face and because Harry and Zayn just won't leave the counter and it's awkward if there is just silence, in which Harry stares fondly and totally in love at Niall and Zayn just grumbles and sighs.

"Not yet", Zayn replies and lets out a light chuckle, because Niall is a fucking bastard, but a lovable bastard and he took a liking in the cutie behind the counter. Not that Niall is a cutie for him, he just looks like one. He just looks like a cutie. And Harry always refers to the blonde as a cutie, so things in Zayn's heat get messed up sometimes. He doesn't have to exculpate himself for thinking Niall's a cutie.

Zayn can see why Harry likes Niall, even though he can also see that Niall is not into Harry and just wants to be left alone. Just like Zayn. Zayn wants to be left alone to mope around.  
When he looks at the situation like that, Niall and him would fit better, but then Zayn remembers that neither of them is gay and Zayn has a wife - soon-to-be-wife, he slaps himself internally - and the only gay in town is indeed Harry.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?", Harry asks then, all of the sudden, he never does that, he only ever leaves hints, which you cannot call hints, because he only ever makes heart-eyes at Niall, and to say that Zayn is shocked is an understatement. He looks at his friend and like the amazing friend he his, he pats Harry's back and tries to tell him that no, Niall likes the pussy, when Niall says:

"Sure", and maybe Zayn will not survive this day, because he will die of shock and surprises.

"Sure?", Harry's eyes widen and so does his smile. Niall nods. Niall shrugs. 

"Why not?", he says, thinking about if he goes on a date with Harry, the bloke and his friend would stop bothering him at work, and Zayn just gapes at the agreement of Niall. Harry just smiles and Niall just continues playing bombermine or whatever that game is called. 

Harry whirls around to Zayn, screaming at his friend that it's a wonderful day, then he whirls around to Niall again, saying that he'll pick him up after his shift, which Harry knows when it ends, because he stalked Niall for a long time now and then he starts running out of the library and if anyone asks Zayn if he knows that person, well, he doesn't. 

"You two are the dumbest people I've ever had the displeasure to meet", Niall grins slyly at his computer and the left behind Zayn just huffs, because no, Zayn is smart, thank you very much. 

"Well, you are the laziest and gayest librarian I've ever had the displeasure to meet", Zayn retorts and Niall only lifts up his eyebrows and congratulates him on this witty reply.   
Zayn shows the cutie behind the counter his middle finger and when Niall says, that he should either go marry his girlfriend or borrow a book about how to behave in public, the decision is quickly made.

Zayn leaves, like Harry, without asking why Niall said yes to the date, because he doesn't care, which is why he is a good and understanding friend.  
Instead of walking home at Harry's, Zayn decides to go to his soon-to-be-wife, to ask her an important question: if he can move in with her, because after this whole scene, Zayn can't imagine living with Harry any longer without dying of annoyance and he thinks that's really pretty clever and smart of him. 

Maybe he'll propose to her after moving in, but don't talk to him about that, because he will just sigh.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! x


End file.
